NEOM, the sustainable regional development in northwest Saudi Arabia, and SAUDIA, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier, have created a strategic partnership to begin offering weekly service to international destinations from NEOM Bay Airport (NUM), representing the inauguration of commercial services at the airport.
SAUDIA will operate direct flights to select regional and international destinations. SAUDIA will begin with weekly flights to Dubai International Airport by the end of June 2022, with plans to expand to London soon thereafter. Aircraft traveling to the selected destinations will have a joint NEOM-SAUDIA livery, showcasing the NEOM brand to the world.
His Excellency Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of SAUDIA, said: “This partnership is in line with SAUDIA’s ambition to support Saudi Vision 2030 by increasing passenger traffic domestically and regionally, as well as expanding our connections to global cities. As NEOM continues to progress, demand for travel to there is only increasing, making it a natural addition to our list of destinations.”
Nadhmi Al-Nasr, Chief Executive Officer of NEOM, said: “NEOM Bay Airport is a key enabler of NEOM’s development, facilitating efficient access to NEOM for residents and business partners, and drastically improving the ease with which NEOM can connect with people from all over the world. This is an exciting step in our journey to provide the best possible air connectivity to NEOM and a signal of our rapid growth.”
Increasing direct connectivity to NEOM is an important step in promoting the further development of the ambitious giga-project, which is being completed by an impressive team of local, regional and international experts. NEOM currently has over 1,500 full-time employees representing over 65 nationalities, and numerous business partners from all over the world.
NEOM sits at the crossroads of three continents, with 40% of the world accessible within a four-hour flight. NEOM’s mobility strategy will see the further evolution of air travel to NEOM in the coming years, supporting its vision to shape the future of air mobility through seamless and customer-centric connectivity, rooted in cutting-edge technology.